Amnesiac
by HavenTrio
Summary: AU after Season 3 Finale. She wakes in a hospital with no memories of who she is. Yet she still ends up back in Haven, Maine. Will she remember all that she has lost? And where do Nathan and Duke fit into this?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Haven. I wish I did…

Amnesiac

She woke up to the sounds of machines beeping, slowly and rhythmically. She tried to turn her head and realized that her head and neck were immobilized. All she could see were white walls and she realized she was in a hospital when she saw the medical equipment. She gripped the rails of her hospital bed and tried not to freak out.

The machines started beeping rapidly as she panicked. She tried to tear at the tape holding her breathing tube in place but couldn't get it off. A nurse rushed in and tried calming her down.

"Calm down, sweetie." She said soothingly. "Just breathe. A doctor will be in soon."

She let the machine breathe for her until the doctor came in. After a few minutes of questions, the doctor advised her to take a deep breath and then exhale. He pulled the tube as she started choking. The nurse held her hands to prevent her from ripping at the doctor's hands. She started coughing but inhaled for the first time unassisted in who knows how long.

"Where am I?" She asked Nurse Annabel. The words were garbled and unrecognizable.

She didn't recognize the harsh and raspy voice that came from her own throat. She drank a little of the water offered to her by the nurse, soothing a little of the pain from her throat. She looked at the tube in dislike. It felt like it had completely peeled a layer of tissue off the inside of her esophagus. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"Where am I?" She asked again.

"Saint Joseph's Hospital." The doctor injected himself in the conversation.

She must have looked completely blank. "Bangor, Maine." The nurse finished.

The doctor wrote a few things in her chart. "You've been here for 72 hours. You received a nasty knock on the head and ended up in the hospital. The policeman said that you were mugged but a witness scared the guy off before he was able to steal your purse. I just need to ask a few questions to evaluate you. What's your name?"

She opened her mouth to reply then paused. "I don't know."

The doctor shared a glance with the nurse. "That's ok. Sometimes with the kind of accident you had, it can take a little time for answers to come to you. What year is it?"

She was able to answer most of the doctor's questions. The year was 2012 and Obama was president. No, she didn't know how old she was or where she was born. She successfully recited the alphabet backwards and proved her motor skills were functioning just fine. She couldn't remember anything about herself or her family but the rest of her memory was working just fine.

The doctor sat back with a sigh. "So, it looks like you have amnesia. We'll have to perform some further tests to see if it's temporary memory loss. Your id says your name is Alexandra DeWitt and you live here in the city."

The newly named Alexandra frowned. "That name doesn't sound familiar at all. Neither does the address."

The doctor finished scribbling in the chart. "Well, we will leave you to rest. Let us know if you remember anything."

She nodded and watched the two of them walk through the door. She watched as they spoke to each other. The nurse nodded and they split. The nurse moved towards the station and the doctor headed down the hall to evaluate more patients.

The staff was careful of her for the next few days. They were helpful but tried to keep the stimuli to a minimum so that she wasn't overwhelmed. She still couldn't remember anything about herself or her family but eventually she was well enough to get around on her own. The police offer that caught her case interviewed her and took pictures. Luckily the witness had identified her attacker and they had him in custody. They advised her that she might need to testify in the future if it went to trial. Alexandra agreed. She definitely didn't want this guy to be roaming free. They discharged her when she was well enough to get by on her own.

She stood in the living room of her empty apartment. There was very little there. There were no personal touches, pictures of anyone besides herself or any hints of who she was. The apartment had come furnished or so she had been told by the landlord. Officer Hendricks had already given her the bad news that he couldn't locate any family members, a boyfriend and there were apparently no close friends either. She had found her last paycheck stub and had gone to check out where she worked. She was surprised it was a bar but her coworkers were friendly but distant. They had told her that she had only been there a few weeks. She was disappointed to learn that she had given her two week notice before the attack. Worst of all, they had already hired a replacement.

She sat down on the couch with a sigh. She booted up her laptop and started looking up her browsing history. She clicked on a few links and discovered she loved listening to music. Her playlists were eclectic, full of classic rock and roll, artists like Usher and Rihanna and even some country. She clicked play and let the music roll over her as she checked her email.

There was a lot of spam promising to improve her sexual performance by increasing her testosterone levels. She snorted and deleted them. A few were rejection letters from jobs that had already filled positions. One caught her eye. She clicked on it and they advised they had an open bartending position and would love to interview her.

The city name made her senses tingle and she googled it. It was a small town that wasn't too far away. Pictures of the town showed a town that was beautifully scenic and hauntingly familiar. She made a decision that she would go and check it out. She would apply for the position and see if the town brought up any memories. Her car was old but well maintained. It would get her there and hopefully she would get some answers.

Two days later, she parked her vehicle and got out of car. She leaned against it as she studied the building in front of her. It was a large grey two story building perched in front of a beautiful view of the water. The second story had its own entrance through an outside staircase that led towards a wraparound deck for outside seating. Alexa waited for _something_ to happen. Wasn't she supposed to have a wave of memories or a general feeling of recognition towards anything, anyone? Instead all she felt was the same sense of déjà vu that she had since she had seen the pictures of the town online.

Still feeling a little frustrated, she straightened herself up and took a deep breath to calm herself. She had aced plenty of job interviews in the past. She just had to be her friendly, competent self. Despite her general disappointment in not getting any memories, she knew that she had this. Her clothes and makeup were perfect and it was a little after one. Perfect timing for an unplanned interview, she thought. She walked to the front door and let herself in.

"Hello?" She called.

Her eyes adjusted to the gloom around her. Typical pub set up with a bar along the back wall and seating for diners. Looked like a nice place though. It was well kept and clean, the health inspector probably had the owner on his Christmas list.

A man popped up from behind the bar then turned around. He was tall, dark and the bad boy kind of handsome that made father's want to lock up their daughters. He had an interesting face with a prominent nose, dark eyes and just enough facial hair to make you want to grab ahold of but not enough to gross you out. Down hormones, she ordered herself.

He dropped his clipboard when he saw her. He looked shocked but there was definitely recognition there too. Alexa's heart began to beat faster and suddenly she was a little afraid. What if he did know her? What if she learned things that she didn't want to know about herself or her past?

" _Audrey?_ " He whispered then seemed to get ahold of himself. "I'm sorry. You look like someone who used to live here in town. My name's Duke Crocker and I am the owner of this fine establishment."

"Alexandra DeWitt." She shook his hand. "I had an interview with you for the bartending position."

"You're a little late." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "That was last week."

She shrugged. "Sorry, I was in the hospital. I was unconscious for a few days."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Duke looked concerned.

"It's one of the reasons I'm here." Alexa explained. "The bump on my head made me lose my memories. I came here to see if anyone here remembers me. What about this Audrey person. Do you think she might know me?"

Duke's eyes widened. "Huh. It's possible. You and Audrey look so much alike that you could be twins. She took off about six months ago but there are plenty of people around here that knew her. It might take some time for people to talk to you though. Townsfolk aren't too keen on talking to outsiders."

"Oh." She was disappointed.

"But in the meantime, I'm still short a bartender." Duke gestured to the bar behind them. "I'll give you the job if you can pass the practical test. I'm more of a trial by fire kind of guy."

 _I bet you are. I wonder if you can pass my trials._ Inner Alexa purred. "Sure. Let me familiarize myself a bit with the set up back here. I'll show you how I roll."

After asking a few questions about set up and reviewing the drink specials, Alexa was ready. She did a few tricks with the bottles as she poured shots and mixed drinks. She correctly answered the questions Duke posed to her about health and sanitation policies.

Duke stood up from the stool he had been sitting on. He picked up his beer and saluted her. "Congratulations. You've got the job."

"Awesome!" Alexa did a little wiggle.

I've got a private party going on tonight." Duke sipped his beer then sat it down. "Are you up to helping me out?"

"Sure!" Alexa smiled. "I just need to find a place to crash then I'll be back."

Duke ran a hand through his hair. "Well, there's a studio apartment upstairs. Haven't had any luck renting it since Audrey moved out. You interested in taking a look?"

Alexa considered it. "Sure."

"Ok, hang on a second. Let me lock up first." Duke went into the kitchen then came back with a ring of keys.

Alexa followed him up the outside stairs she had noticed earlier and eyed the fine view of his behind as he unlocked the door. It was a nice place, she decided but the beaded curtain definitely needed to go.

"It's fully furnished and I promise the mattress is new. You're welcome to change things but I would appreciate letting me know so that I can store the offensive object." Duke paused. "Questions?"

"I like it." Alexa decided. "How much?"

"You aren't sure you're going to stay long term, right?" Duke asked. She shook her head no. "Then let's say a hundred a week? Utilities are included but don't make me regret that by taking hour long showers."

"What if I'm really dirty?" She tried playing innocent. At Duke's choking noise, she grinned. "I'll try my best to not abuse your hot water heater. You've got a deal, boss."

"Great." Duke shook her hand. "You can pay me for the first week tomorrow. Want a celebratory shot?"

"Not yet." She eyed the room around her. "I need to unpack and do a little cleaning before I start my shift later. Do you mind if I use the washer? I think the bedsheets are hiding a colony of dust bunnies."

"Nah. It's all yours." Duke pulled the apartment key off the ring. Here. I've got another one at home but I promise that barring emergencies, I will give notice before inspection."

"Just knock if you come to visit." Alexa advised. "Oh and by the way, you can take that beaded monstrosity with you. I'm not a fan of 70's décor."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Haven or any of its characters.

Amnesiac

Chapter Two

 _Be there at seven p.m._ Duke had told her.

Alexa stared at herself in the mirror. She wore a pair of skintight black pants and a dark green tank top. Her makeup made her eyes smoky dark and lips were dark red. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a French braid. She turned away from the mirror and walked to the door. She locked the door behind her and walked down the stairs.

She walked through the door of The Gull. Duke was stacking glasses behind the bar. She walked over to him and sat on a barstool. She propped her head on her hands and just watched him. There was a sports game on the TV and snacks scattered around on the tables. Duke looked positively gleeful as he set everything up. He did everything but rub his hands together like a cartoon villain. She supposed he was excited to see the reactions of his guests when they saw her.

"You ready?" He asked.

She shrugged. "As I'll ever be."

His guests trickled in and she had to admit that their reactions were encouraging. There were two older gentlemen that came in first. One was short and slender, he wore a hat. He had eyes that were sharp but kind. The other was tall and stocky with shoulder length curly hair. He had eyes that were fierce like that of an eagle or hawk. They looked so happy to see her. Like they actually _knew_ her. The next one was a musclebound tall man wearing a bulletproof vest. He had a guarded look on his face. A petite, young woman with chin length black hair that seemed to just vibrate energy walked in and behind her, was the final addition to the party.

He was the same height as her new boss but he seemed to be all sharp lines and angles when standing next to Duke. His face was handsome with its planed cheekbones but his eyes were intense and searching as he saw her. The look of hope died in his eyes as she watched him realize that she didn't know him. She felt guilty for putting that look on his face then felt a little irritated with him for making her feel less than this person they all wanted her to be.

Dave, Vince, Dwight, Jennifer, Duke and Nathan. She let these names swirl around in her head but felt nothing. She smiled, handed out beers to those who wanted them and gave Jennifer the margarita that she requested. Out of all of them, Jennifer seemed the most genuine as she talked a mile a minute and bounced on her barstool. Alexa learned that Jennifer had never met Audrey or her before and was therefore not weighted down by the ghosts of previous interactions that they remembered with the stranger that wore her face.

By the end of the evening, she was frustrated by the others. Dave and Vince were experts in small talk but never descended into deeper discussions. She felt comfortable talking to them but felt like there was always something behind the conversation that she was unable to decode. She watched Duke drink his beer and needle Dwight and Nathan about their choices for sports teams. Dwight was a quiet guy who only talked when there was something important to say. Otherwise he was just observing the others. Jennifer happily talked his ear off while he just nodded. Nathan just kept glancing back at her with such a depressing look on his face that she avoided eye contact with him.

Eventually they left, one by one, until only Duke, Nathan and Alexa were the only ones left. She cleaned up behind the bar and took dirty dishes to the kitchen to be washed. Duke and Nathan seemed a little tense. They were holed up in a corner having an intense discussion, she noticed as she made multiple trips back and forth. It seemed as if they were going to start punching but brought themselves back from the brink each time. Finally he said a terse goodbye to her and Duke before exiting the bar. After stacking washed glasses, sweeping the floor and mopping, Alexa and Duke called it quits. They sat on bar stools and Duke offered shots.

"No, I'm good." Alexa waved him off. "I'm going upstairs. What time are you going to need me tomorrow?"

"5pm is fine." Duke finished off his beer. "I'll be here by 9am to open. If you're interested in breakfast, I make a mean waffle."

"I might take you up on that." Alexa yawned. "Good night."

She let herself out and walked upstairs. She found Nathan sitting on her deck and watching the water. She approached him cautiously and he turned around to look at her. They stared back at each other, she in curiosity and he in deep sadness. He put down his beer and stood up, just staring at her.

"How can you forget me?" He whispered. "I've missed you so much, Audrey."

She was frozen as he seemed to collect himself. He didn't try to touch her. He just walked past her and disappeared down the stairs. She looked down at the water as she heard his truck roar to life then pull away. She only went inside when she couldn't hear the engine anymore. She found herself crying but she couldn't say why. All she could feel was sadness as she wiped off her make up. She fell asleep still wondering why his words had cut her so deep.

Alexa was showered and dressed by 10am. She dithered around for a while then decided to go downstairs to see if Duke would deliver on his promise of waffles. She went through the front door and said hello to a few early birds enjoying breakfast. She slid onto a barstool and waited to catch Duke's eye. He came over with a menu and a smirk.

"Morning." He gave her the menu.

She skimmed the menu. "I believe I was promised waffles if I joined you for breakfast this morning."

"Good choice. My waffles are legendary." Duke winked. "Orange juice?"

Alexa considered. "Coffee with a shot of Irish."

"Coming up." Duke doctored her coffee then took off to the kitchen.

Alexa played with her phone for bit, amusing herself by playing a game. After a while, she got bored and started looking up local attractions. She had just enough money left to buy a few groceries but then she would be broke. She hoped there would be some good tips tonight or she'd be living off of ramen noodles for the foreseeable future.

A plate was put down in front of her. There were two big, beautiful golden brown waffles on the plate. Cut up strawberries decorated the top. A container of warm, maple syrup followed a set of silverware. Alexa poured syrup over the waffles then cut off a piece. The flavors blended together in her mouth and she closed her eyes in bliss.

"Wow." Duke remarked. "I've seen that look many times before. Usually it was directed at me, not food, but I'll take it."

Alexa laughed. "I'll keep that in mind for future reference in case any inquiring ladies want to know."

She and Duke joked around, finding an easy rhythm for conversation. She took her time eating but polished off the entire plate of waffles. She pushed her plate away with a sigh of gratification, sipped at the last of her coffee and then slid off her barstool. She handed him enough cash to pay for breakfast and he put the money in the till.

"What's on the schedule today?" Duke asked.

Alexa shrugged. "Grocery shopping and maybe a little sightseeing."

"Do you want some company?" Duke asked. "I'm free after Mark comes in. I do have to make a stop at my boat."

"Sure." Alexa agreed. "You can show me all the good spots."

Mark showed up right on time and the two took off. They took Duke's Land Rover and Alexa had to admit that it was pretty cool that the driver's side was on the left. She found Duke's stories amusing as he pointed out important businesses and the best places to eat. She had a great time watching the scenery as they drove to the marina. She followed him and realized when he said boat, he didn't mean a houseboat. What he really meant was his ship. Her name was the Cape Rouge.

"Wow." Alexa said as she followed him down the gangplank.

Duke laughed. "She's all mine. You like sailing?"

"I've never sailed before." Alexa admitted.

"We'll have to fix that." Duke said. "Do you mind hanging out here in the galley while I go grab the box?"

"No problem." Alexa took a seat and watched him disappear into another room.

"I like what you've done with the place." Alexa called out.

"Thanks." Duke reappeared holding a small crate. "Ready?"

"Yep."

Duke loaded the crate in the back of his truck then slid into the driver's seat. They drove for a few more minutes until they hit the grocery store. A quick trip later, they were loading the groceries into the back. Alexa looked towards the store again and saw a few curious faces peering at her. She elbowed Duke in the side.

"What?" Duke grunted.

Alexa grinned. "I think that you are going to be the focus of a few new rumors after today."

"Both of us will." Duke remarked. "They probably think you are Audrey."

"And…?" Alexa prompted.

Duke raked his hand through his hair. "She and Nathan had a thing going on. Since she moved to town and became Nathan's partner at the Haven PD, there has been an ongoing bet as to when they were going to get together. When she disappeared, it upset a lot of people. Audrey helped a lot of people in this town and I'm sure they would feel a lot better if she came back."

"Oh, so you showing up with an Audrey look-alike is going to start a new chain of rumors. "Alexa mused. "How exciting. Should we give them a show?"

"You are a mischievous one." Duke murmured.

He crowded her against the side of the Land Rover and planted his hands on either side of her head. He leaned down a little until his lips were next to her ear. His warm breath ruffled her hair and she shivered a little in anticipation. Her skin felt extra sensitive and goosebumps dotted her skin.

"Like this?" He breathed in her ear.

He turned his head a little so that he could meet her eyes. Her heart was beating faster as her hormones were going into overdrive. Her mouth was dry and Alexa's tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Duke's eyes darkened and apparently he liked the look in her eyes. His eyes focused on her mouth and he waited. Alexa slid her hands into his hair and tugged him closer. Her eyes closed as their lips met.

Her nerve endings jolted like a electrical circuit had completed and she sighed a little. Duke kissed just like she thought he would. He started out slow and lazy then became focused and hungry. She lost herself in the sensation that he was giving and moaned into his mouth as his hands slid down her back before they urged her against him.

A cough startled both of them and Alexa jerked back. Duke's eyes were heavy lidded and still full of lust. She was breathing heavy as she looked towards the person that interrupted them. Dwight stared back at them with an impassive face and eyes full of laughter.

"A concerned citizen called HPD wanting us to arrest you two before the 'indecency continued'." Dwight explained. His lips twitched. "Move along."

"Thanks, Sasquatch." Duke huffed.

Alexa cleared her throat. "We're going, Chief."

"Was that enough show for you?" Duke asked her as they got into the car.

Alexa was laughing as they pulled away, leaving Dwight to stare at their tail lights.

Alexa put away groceries as Duke grabbed two beers and popped them open. He handed one over to her after she finished putting everything away that she wasn't going to use for dinner. She opened up the container of chicken broth she was going to use and poured it into the pan. She froze when she took a good look at the contents.

"What the hell." She exclaimed.

Duke came up behind her. "That's a new one."

The container was pouring out what looked like red wine. Alexa sniffed it then wrinkled her nose. Definitely wine, not chicken stock. Alexa dumped it out in the sink. She watched as Duke got into her cupboard and took out a can of vegetables. He opened it up and it was green beans in red wine. Repeating this confirmed that everything else purchased that contained a liquid was now marinating in red wine.

"Huh." Duke remarked. "Better call Nate."

"Why? Is this town so tiny that the police do the job of the FDA?" Alexa asked. She looked at her beer then drank the rest.

"No." Duke pulled out his phone and dialed. "Haven's a little weird. You'll understand. Hey Nate. Got any reports of liquids being turned into wine? Alexa and I just got back from Harvey's supermarket and anything that is liquid is now an alcoholic's paradise. Could be a Haven thing."

Duke pulled the phone away from his ear as yelling could be heard from the other end then brought the phone back to his ear. He rolled his eyes then hung up his cell. "Come on. His Majesty is awaiting our presence at HPD. Apparently you aren't the only person this has happened to today. He feels that you might be able to help him determine who's doing this."

"Okay." Alexa thought this was weird and said so.

"I'm sure Nathan's probably heard about this afternoon. He'll want to threaten me and warn you." Duke ushered her out the door then waited for her to lock it. "It's kind of his MO."

Alexa eyed the almost full beer in his hand then snatched it away. "You can be the designated driver. And I'll be the plastered one."

"Really?" Duke said dryly.

Alexa drank the rest of the beer. "Mm hmm."

"You should try to play nice with Officer Wuornos." Duke gave up and followed Alexa down the stairs. "You and he are both after the same answers. He's still looking for Audrey and hoping you'll be able to help him find her. Poor sap never told her he loved her and then she was gone. Of course, everyone including Audrey knew it but they tap danced around each other too long and time ran out. There's a good lesson there."

"And I'm hoping that someone will jog my memories." Alexa got into the car. "And then I'll know."

They drove down to the station and parked. Alexa hesitated, she had never been in a police station before and she felt the same general nervousness that she felt when she was pulled over by a cop. She shook it off then walked into the cop shop with Duke. He inquired where Nathan was and the nice cop (whose name she thought was Steve) told him that he was in his office. Alexa introduced herself then trailed Duke to the office.

"Close the door." Nathan ordered.

Alexa bristled but did it without arguing. Nathan looked ready for an argument and she wasn't in the mood to take any crap. She plopped down on the couch, pulled out her phone then started texting Jennifer.

"So what happened?" Nathan asked.

Alexa didn't answer but Duke gave an explanation of what happened. He gave the names of who he remembered and Nathan wrote everything down. He tapped his pen against the paper and compared it to the lists of people he already had.

"Did you tell him about the big guy in the camo?" Alexa looked up from her phone. "The bearded one who looked like he spent a week in the woods on a drunken bender."

"Ralph Mellin." Duke snapped his fingers.

"That's a terrible name. Poor dude." Alexa was sympathetic. "So do you think that he just replaced the liquid inside? It's kind of an epic prank."

"That would make sense." Nathan ignored her but continued on. "He just quit drinking. Wife threatened to take the kids and leave if he didn't."

"So you want to go talk to him?" Duke shrugged.

"Yeah but first can you give us a moment." Nathan didn't take his eyes away from Duke.

Alexa realized that now he was talking to her. "Sure. I'm hungry anyway. Do you think the candy machine is safe?"

"Yeah." Nate replied to her, completely oblivious to her glare.

She cleared her throat and held out her hand. Nathan tore his eyes away from Duke and looked at her with confusion. She wiggled her fingers. "Need some change."

"Oh." Nathan dug into his pockets and gave her a handful of quarters. "The Baby Ruths stick. P3."

Alexa gave into her urges and rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

She wandered away and found the candy machine. Nothing looked good but she picked a Snickers bar anyway. She came back just in time to hear Nathan yelling at Duke. She decided to do a little eavesdropping.

"She's not Audrey!" Nathan snapped at Duke.

Duke was getting irritated. "I know that better than you. Alexa is different."

" _I need her,_ Duke." Nathan sounded desperate. "I did everything I could to keep her here with me but it wasn't enough."

Duke sounded sympathetic. "I know, buddy. You did everything you could to protect her but it was Audrey's decision to protect Haven and everyone in it. But Alexa is here now looking for the answers that Audrey originally sought. Do you want to scare her away?"

"No, but I-" Nathan started.

Duke interrupted him. "But nothing, Nathan! You have two choices here, Nathan. Continue to act like a piece of ice is lodged up your ass and all you can do is spit out icicles or act like a normal human being and treat her with some respect."

"How can you do this?" Nathan was angry. "You told me you _loved Audrey_."

Alexa stopped breathing for a moment. Duke had loved this other woman and Alexa felt herself become angry but she also felt a sense of loss for something that had just started to bloom, a hope for a connection just beginning to form. Alexa just shook her head.

"I did-I do love Audrey." Duke started. "But she never loved me, Nathan. That was reserved for you. It was never going to be me. I have to move on and as you pointed out, Alexa is not Audrey."

Alexa took a deep breath as tears pricked her eyes. She held them back with strength of will. She was happy to hear Duke's confession and that little bit of hope started to grow again. She stepped forward and opened the door. She looked inquiringly at the two men inside. Nathan still looked angry and Duke looked sad, almost resigned.

"Are you ready to go?" Alexa tried to sound bored. "I'm going to need more than a candy bar."

"Sure." Nathan moved past her then stopped. "Hello, Jordan."

"Nathan, Duke." A female voice sounded behind her. Alexa turned around. "Well, Well. If it isn't Audrey back from the dead."

The woman behind her was a little taller than herself. She wore all black. Black pant black tank top, and strangest of all, black leather gloves. It worked with her pale complexion, black hair, brown bedroom eyes and rosebud mouth. She looked like a cross between Snow White and Catwoman.

"My name's Alexa DeWitt. Nice to meet you…?" Alexa stuck her hand out, wanting to shake her hand.

"Jordan McKee." Jordan peeled off a glove then shook her hand.

A look of wonder passed over her face and replaced the anger that had been present before. Her grip tightened a little then relaxed. "You really don't know me?" Alexa let go and almost reluctantly, Jordan let her hand fall back to her side.

"No." Alexa admitted. "I've been getting a lot of that lately. I think Audrey might be my sister."

"Have you explained anything to her?" Jordan demanded of Nathan and Duke. "You had a deal with the Guard."

"Not yet." Duke answered. "Nathan has given her the warm welcome he's been giving everyone else lately."

Alexa scoffed and muttered. "As cold as a polar bear's balls."

Jordan laughed. "Oh, I like you. Let's be friends."

Something in her eyes looked suspiciously like grief moved under the sarcasm and Alexa moved impulsively. She hugged Jordan and Jordan tentatively hugged her back. When she moved back, Jordan's eyes were wet and she had put her glove back on.

"Why?" She asked, voice trembling.

Alexa shrugged. "You looked like you needed a hug. You know where I am if you need another." She tried for a lighter note. "Let's exchange numbers."

"We'll wait for you out by Nathan's Bronco." Duke called out as he and Nathan retreated. Nathan looked stunned as if he couldn't believe what was going on in front of his eyes.

Alexa heard Duke tell Nathan. "Dude. Are you as freaked out about this as I am? It's like Wonder Woman and Catwoman teaming up to fight crime. We no longer have to just worry about Haven. The whole damn world is going to end."

"What the hell is their problem?" Alexa asked Jordan once the two were out of earshot.

Jordan lifted one shoulder then dropped it. "I'm Nathan's ex. He used me to get the info he needed in order to flush out a criminal. The killer took over the identity of one of my associate's and we finally cornered her."

Alexa narrowed her eyes. "Like used, used?" Jordan nodded. "Wow. Detective Douchebag really doesn't pull any punches. Audrey and I are going to have a long discussion about men once I catch up to her."

Jordan started laughing. "You really are nothing like her."

"The more I hear that, the better I feel." Alexa said earnestly as they walked outside.

She noticed that Jordan walked exactly like Catwoman did in the old Batman cartoons she used to watch as a kid. "Wow. You really do walk like Catwoman. That's so sexy. I have to admit that I'm a little jealous."

Jordan stopped dead then started walking again, cheeks pink. "Be careful of those two. Everyone, including the group I belong to, wants Audrey back but for different reasons. The group I belong to wants her to get rid of the problems plaguing this town but Nathan only wants to get Audrey back. He doesn't care who he hurts or how many lives he ruins. And Duke, well, no one knows his agenda. Audrey is his friend but he always looks out for himself first."

"Thank you for the advice." Alexa said after thinking about it.

"Call me if you want answers." Jordan said. "I'll answer what I can."

Jordan hadn't look like she was lying but she was definitely going to be asking her two companions some questions. She watched Jordan walk away then turned and started walking to the Bronco. She got into the backseat and buckled in. Nathan started the truck and drove away from the police station. Duke turned around to look at her.

"Everything ok?" He asked with a worried look in his eyes.

"That was illuminating." She remarked. "Jordan offered to fill in any blanks you two leave out. She also warned me that you two have hidden agendas. Much like her own I suspect."

Duke and Nathan glanced at each other but Nathan spoke first. "Jordan belongs to an organization dedicated to supporting special people in our town. They police themselves and believe that outside forces have no jurisdiction over them."

"Like a gang?" Alexa wanted to know. "Or more like Libertarians or the Amish?"

"More like Libertarians." Duke nodded.

Alexa let her head hit the back of the seat. "Got it. I hope she doesn't expect me to join her little rebellion."

"I don't think she will." Duke smirked.

"Is this Ralph's address?" Alexa wanted to know as they pulled up to a nice little house.

"Ayuh." Nathan replied. "Like Duke, he doesn't like paying his parking tickets. This is the address we have for him."

Alexa stifled a laugh as Duke glared at Nathan. Nathan got out of the car and Duke followed him. Alexa shrugged and followed them but stood out of the way just in case. Nathan knocked on the door and a woman answered.

"Hello?" The blonde woman looked frazzled and a toddler was hiding behind her leg.

"Detective Wuornos, ma'am." Nathan nodded to her. "Is Ralph in?"

"He's in the living room. I'm Beth." The woman introduced herself. She gestured for them to come in. "I need to put Tommy down for a nap. Come on in."

The three stepped inside and made their way to the living room. Ralph was in a recliner and he looked up blearily them before going back to the tv.

"Hi there, Ralph." Nathan began. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions about your trip to Harvey's Market earlier?"

"Sure." He answered.

Nathan looked at Alexa then pressed on. "Is your family Troubled?"

"Oh, God." Ralph groaned. "Is this what this visit is about?"

"Yeah." Duke spoke up. "Apparently turning liquid into alcohol is ruffling some people's feathers."

"I can't help it." Ralph pulled his hair. "When Beth tells me to stop drinking, I really try. But then if I'm touching anything when I start thinking about alcohol it turns into wine, vodka or other things."

Alexa listened in disbelief as the men started talking about AA meetings. Nathan convinced Ralph that it was possible to be sober. Ralph knew this was his last chance to keep his family and he was quick to agree to Nathan's plan. Duke offered to take any alcohol for a fee until Ralph's ability could be brought under control.

"Are you serious?" She burst out. "Are you pranking me?"

She looked at the men and they gave her serious eyes. They took her into the kitchen and let her pick a glass. She filled it with tap water and drank a bit of it to confirm that yes, it was water. Ralph touched the glass and suddenly it was amber colored. She tasted it. Beer. He touched it again. Scotch this time.

"What. The. Hell." She breathed. She staggered down into a chair and stared at the glass in her hand in shock. It was there so she drank it.

"We call them The Troubles." Nathan said seriously. "Some of them are harmless like changing water into alcohol but some of them are deadly. My job is to help the Troubled in any way I can. Our goal, Audrey's and mine, were to get rid of The Troubles forever."

Alexa looked at Duke. "What?" He said. "I help when Audrey asked. She was the only cop I ever liked."

Alexa felt dizzy. "I think I need another refill." She said to Ralph.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Haven or its characters.

Amnesiac

Chapter 3

Nathan had taken his own truck and promised to meet them up at Alexa's apartment. The other two agreed and left together in Duke's Land Rover. Alexa was silent on the ride back to The Gull. She was still confused at the turn of events and the easy acceptance by the two males.

Duke was quiet at first but then began to talk. He explained that The Troubles happened every 27 years and while they were active, the town of Haven suffered. All that was needed was a stressful incident. Enough of a trauma could activate your Trouble and then, well… People disappeared, were injured, maimed and even killed until the cycle ended.

"Some are fairly harmless but most are horrible, even deadly. Jordan is a good example of this." He glanced at her but kept his eyes on the road. "Her touch shocks people. She once called herself a human Taser. That's why she keeps her skin covered. One touch and people are down for the count. Audrey once told me that she accidentally put someone in a coma before he died."

Alexa was shocked. "Is that why she was so emotional when I hugged her?"

"Yes. The last person she could touch without hurting was Nate." Duke pulled into the parking lot of The Gull but let the engine idle. "She went through a traumatic experience and the next thing she knows is that she can't touch anyone without them feeling pain."

"So why aren't I affected?" Alexa wondered.

Duke tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "You are immune to The Troubles, Alexa. They can't affect you directly but the side effects like smoke inhalation van still hurt you."

"Oh. " She thought that over for a moment. She was curious. "Why Nathan?"

Duke turned the engine off. "Because Nathan can't feel anything. He can hear, see, smell and taste but he can't feel sensations."

Alexa was speechless. Duke exited the car then took the crate out of the back. They walked up the stairs together and saw Nathan sitting in her deck chair. She was struck by how similar he looked to the first time she had seen him here. She remembered the words he had spoken to her. _How can you forget me?" He whispered. "I've missed you so much, Audrey."_ He was suffering just like all the other's here in town. Like all of The Troubled.

"Sorry, we got held up." Duke was telling Nathan as dropped himself in the other chair. "I was telling her some background on The Troubles. Like Jordan's."

Nathan nodded. "She's dangerous."

"But that's not her fault!" Alexa protested.

Nathan was serious. "I know but not everyone knows about Jordan's Trouble. We had a case where someone accidentally brushed up against her and got himself shocked. No one can be in control one hundred percent of the time and Jordan's Trouble doesn't have a switch to turn in off. It's one of the reasons she's so desperate for a cure."

"The group we were telling you about earlier is called The Guard." Duke continued. "They are a group of troubled people who look out for others that are troubled. They try to keep people safe when The Troubles are active and keep the lore alive when they cease so that they will be prepared once they activate again. You've already met their leader, Vince."

Alexa was shocked. "One of the old dudes that run the newspaper? The tall one?"

"The one that looks like an overweight Richard Simmons? Yeah, that's him." Duke confirmed.

Nathan looked at her seriously. "He's the one running things for now. He seems to be losing control over his people though. They seem to feel that he isn't doing enough to end The Troubles. And since it's my fault that The Troubles haven't stopped they want to kill me. So Duke came up with a plan to buy us some time until Audrey comes back or we find another way for this to end."

" _And?"_ Alexa was seriously wondering if Nathan had a death wish.

"There are only two foolproof methods that we know of for sure." Duke told her. "The temporary one is that Audrey would be forced to sacrifice herself in order for the town to have 27 years of peace."

Nathan stared at her face again then looked away. "And the second way ended The Troubles forever. The price is steep. She would have to kill the person she loved most."

"She couldn't do it." Duke told her. "She couldn't kill Nathan. So she gave herself up so that Haven could have peace. However, Nathan couldn't abide by her decision and tried to follow her. There was a shooting. Nathan shot the man who would have taken Audrey away, Jordan shot Nathan and I shot Jordan. Only Agent Howard died."

"But Audrey was gone." Nathan's eyes were full of anguish. "Duke followed her."

"By his request." Duke jabbed his finger at Nathan. "The next thing I remember is regaining consciousness in an aquarium six months later."

"We're still looking for her." Nathan finished.

His eyes were intense as they stared into her. It was almost like he was trying to dive into her psyche to search for the answers to burning questions but only he knew the questions. She didn't know what he was looking for but eventually, he turned to stare out at the ocean.

"Anything else you'd like to tell me?" Alexa was already emotionally exhausted. "Any more earth shattering revelations?"

The two men shared a glance and Alexa threw up her hands. "For God's sake. What else? Are aliens real too? Have I been abducted before this point? Is Santa going to be making a surprise visit to my house later? Or maybe I'll be stalked by a sparkly vampire."

"Easy there." Duke tried to soothe her. "We don't want to dump too much information on you at once. Don't need you ending up in the Freddie."

"What the hell is the Freddie?" Alexa was starting to lose her temper.

"Never mind." Nathan told her. "The point is that Audrey never told us that she had a sister. In fact, Audrey told us that she has no living relatives."

"Dude." Duke rolled his eyes. "Invest in some diplomacy. But he's right. Open the crate."

"What?" Alexa looked at them disbelievingly.

But Duke just pointed at the crate and reluctantly, she opened it. Inside were pictures and little treasures. She lifted out a stack of pictures and gasped when she saw the first one. It was of a short blonde woman with kind blue eyes and a big smile standing in front of the Haven Police Department. She wore a boring blue shirt and a pair of slacks.

"Audrey?" She looked up to see Nathan and Duke's expressions. Both made it clear that this was indeed the missing Audrey.

There were pictures of Audrey, Duke and Nathan sitting on her deck, drinking beer and having a good time outside of her department. Poker on a boat of some kind, most likely The Cape Rouge. Audrey eating a cupcake with frosting all over her face and Duke laughing in the background. Nathan and Audrey drinking coffee at a cute little coffee shop with whipped cream mustaches. Another of a beach scene with the ocean in the background where Audrey was shoveling sand into a little boy's bucket to Nathan's obvious amusement. A lighthouse with all three of them lined up in front of it, beaming. Another of a newborn baby swaddled warmly.

The pictures made it clear that there was both heat and attraction in various degrees for all the concerned parties. Nathan's gaze seemed to frozen forever smoldering with romantic intensity as he looked at Audrey. Duke seemed to be enigmatic but there was wistfulness on his face but his eyes held the same amount of feeling. Audrey's photos made it clear that she also felt love and attraction for the two men as well. It was clear all three of them were close but Audrey was always standing or sitting a little closer to Nathan. And most of the time, Audrey stood between the two of them, like a sun exerting a gravitational pull on its two captive planets.

"So why are you showing me this?" Alexa asked as she put the pictures back into the box.

She sifted through the mementos. There were two business cards inside the box, one for FBI Agent Audrey Parker and the other for Detective Parker, HPD. There was also a sea shell, a little glass vial filled with sand that said Haven on it, a plastic cupcake topper that said: Rosemary's, a menu for The Gull, a book, a few discarded beer tops, some playing cards and other items.

Nathan silently held up his phone that had a picture of herself from earlier today. She looked pissed off in the photo but Alexa took a look at her photo and compared it to Audrey's. They looked exactly the same. Same face shape, eyes, nose, lips and body type.

"My God. We look like twins." Alexa thought out loud.

"Audrey didn't have a sister." Nathan repeated.

Duke took a deep breath then let it out. "We don't think you are her sister. We think that you _are Audrey Parker_."

Alexa had even more questions than before. But Nathan had to go back to the station to fill out paperwork. He had already delayed longer than he normally would have to help Duke explain the situation. Alexa was still too lost in her own thoughts to give him more than a distracted goodbye. Duke asked if she wanted to take tonight off so she can have some time to process. Alexa thanked him but ultimately she knew that she needed to work.

Duke asked that she bring back the crate to The Cape Rouge when she was done. She promised that she just wanted to make copies and then she was more than happy to bring it back. Duke looked relieved then excused himself downstairs to check in on Mark.

She put the lid back on the crate and brought it inside. She left it on the couch and then went downstairs herself. The bar was already packed so she got into the swing of things pretty quick. She poured drinks, chatted with customers and flirted a little, cleaned and took away empties. She rang up orders, put up tickets for the chefs, distributed food and bused tables. Everyone wanted to know a little more about the mysterious new resident that looked just like one of the previous police officers that protected their town.

She told them the story that Vince had already started circulating. Alexa had lost her memory and had wandered back into Haven. Until she regained her memory, she would be working part time at The Gull. Nathan would be taking her on a few police rides to see if she would regain her memory. Some of them felt sorry for her and tipped her a little more than normal but the rest seemed to take it in stride. After all it's Haven and things happen.

Duke gave last call and everyone crowded around for one last drink before heading home. She and the other bartender, Nora, confiscated keys for those who were too drunk to drive and called rides for them. Alexa learned that there were no taxis here in town, surprise, surprise. They shut the door after the last patron left and cleaned up. The kitchen had closed at midnight so the kitchen was already clean and ready for tomorrow's service. Duke locked up and Nora went home. It was a little before 2am, standing outside of her door.

"I know you need some time." Duke told her. "You know where I am if you need me."

Alexa eyed him then teased. "You're welcome to bother me whenever, boss. Coffee tomorrow?"

'Sure. What time?" Duke answered.

"10 am?" Alexa asked.

"See you then." Duke waved then disappeared down the steps.

Alexa went inside then locked the door behind her. She showered and did her normal nightly routine. She got into bed, set her alarm and went to sleep. While she was asleep, she dreamed.

 _She was wandering around a mansion. The house had vintage furnishings and it gave off a creepy vibe. No matter how far she walked, she couldn't get over the feeling that someone was watching her. They met up with other people, Duke, Jordan, Nathan, a red haired woman dressed as a cheerleader and another man she had never met before wearing a fedora. Jordan, Nathan and Duke seemed to be threatening each other with guns. After calming down, they shot the mirrors and intercoms in the house while escaping the house. Outside, they were met with Dwight and the Teagues. She took the bomb Dwight was holding and threw it back into the house. The house exploded and she was thrown clear._

 _Now she was in an old fashioned country bar. She was behind the counter, pouring herself a stiff drink. She looked up to see a handsome, athletic man with brown hair in his late 30's. He had quite a playful grin on his face and blue eyes that seemed to twinkle in delight. She drank her scotch then put the glass down. She and the man found a hidden door. He encouraged her to open it so she did. The door opened to the most amazing sight. All she could see were clouds and what seemed to be lightning striking the clouds. He advised that she would have to take a leap of faith to get back to where she belonged. She refused to jump, she was too afraid._

 _He started to get irritated. "The Barn is dying. If you are here when its last moments come, then you will die as well. Do you want that?"_

" _No." Alexa told him then begged, hand held out. "Come with me. You'll die to if you don't come with me."_

" _If only I could. This is a journey you have to make on your own. It can only take you. " He took her hand and made to kiss it but he froze. "Where did you get this ring?"_

 _Alexa shrugged. "Which one? I have a lot."_

 _He pointed out the plainest one. "My memories say it's my mother's. But you already told me that I can't trust my memories. So, I don't know."_

" _With this, we don't need to wait for a rescue." He breathed. "We can walk right through the door and into The Void. We can find an easier way into your world."_

" _That's a good thing, right, William?" Alexa asked._

 _He kissed her ring then her hand. "Of course it is. I'll come with you."_

 _Alexa held his hand tightly as they stood in front of the door. William squeezed her hand gently and on the count of 3, they both jumped into the clouds. She felt a small zap like static electricity and a sensation of falling for a few seconds. They both landed on the ground, lying stunned for a few moments. William started laughing and eventually Alexa did too. It petered off then William stood up. Alexa held out her hand and William pulled her up._

" _Let's go." He smiled. "We've got a long walk ahead of us."_

 _They walked for a long time but Alexa never seemed to get tired. Eventually they came to a greenish yellow gash in the air. William called it a portal or a thinny. He borrowed her ring and popped through it. He came back with food to eat but declared it too far away from their final destination._

" _Where did it go to?" Alexa was curious._

" _Canada." He answered. "Too far from Haven. Let's keep going."_

She woke up to her phone alarm. She turned it off. She sat up in bed, thinking of her dream. The first was probably just a nightmare since it felt a little too much like the haunted house movie she had watched a few days ago. The last one was definitely a memory because she could remember the rest of it.

After five tries, Alexa and William had found one in Maine. They walked through the thinny and found themselves in front of a quiet house in a nice neighborhood. William gave her ring back and explained that she was on her own now. He gave her some cash and sent her on her way. Alexa didn't care. She had been on her own before and while hitching wasn't the safest mode of travel, it would get her where she needed to go. But first, she needed a decent coat and warmer clothes. She gave William a hug goodbye then went to the closest Goodwill. She got a few outfits and a backpack to store them in. After that she went to the closest bar that had help wanted on it and got the job. It was a crappy little bar but they paid under the table which is what she wanted. She found a cheap by the week apartment for rent, paid in cash for a month and started saving. In two weeks she had enough for a used laptop and paid outright for an 1994 blue Toyota Tercel that was more rust than body. Doing research, she found that Haven seemed to be a perfectly ordinary town, nothing special but it was a starting place. She put in her notice at work and that's when she got mugged then sent to the hospital before emerging with amnesia.

She was still feeling tired and a low grade headache was just beginning to form. She got up, got dressed and decided today was going to be a low maintenance day which meant hair was going into a ponytail and she was only going to be performing half of her normal make up routine. She was sitting on her couch, pondering whether she had enough time for a short nap when somebody knocked on the door.

"Come in." Alexa called.

Duke opened the door and Jennifer skipped inside. "Hope you don't mind but this one was wondering if she could join us for coffee."

"Of course not." Alexa said. "The more, the merrier."

"How did you sleep?" Jennifer chirped.

Alexa winced. "Ok. Had a couple of weird dreams. One might be a memory."

Jennifer clapped her hands in excitement and Duke looked conflicted (happy, sad, afraid). Alexa recounted the memory of the bar scene as best she could while the coffee brewed. She poured coffee and set it in front of Jennifer and Duke. Jennifer added sugar then milk, Duke and Alexa both drank it black.

"But I mean it was a _bar_ , not a _barn_." Alexa finished. I don't know why he called it that."

"Because on the outside, it is a barn." Duke said seriously. "But inside it can be whatever it wants. But this William was he a bald, black guy?"

"No." She shook her head. "White guy."

"The Barn is real." Jennifer chimed in. "That was my trouble. I could hear The Barn and whoever was inside. I could hear you and a man talking but I never caught his name. I just knew when you jumped out of The Barn and then when it died."

"We knew." Duke motioned to himself and Jennifer. "When you were outside but we didn't know how long it was going to take you to come back. Or even if you were going to come back to Haven."

"What about Nathan?" Alexa asked. "He didn't seem like the kind of person who would give up."

Duke looked grim. "Nathan was in a really bad place. The Guard was trying to kill him for screwing up the return to the barn and you were gone. When Jennifer broke me out of the hospital, we went to go find Nathan. We found him outside a bar letting people beat him up for money. He's coming out of it but there are things he can't let go of."

"Oh." Alexa said simply and took a sip of coffee.

That explained a lot, she thought to herself. Being unable to feel left him stunted emotionally with regards to his own feelings and being able to respond to others. Meeting someone like Audrey had been like offering a drink of water to someone suffering from dehydration. He couldn't get enough and the prospect of losing her had sent him into a tailspin. He had then made a series of bad decisions that led him into being hunted like a fugitive. And he still lost her only to find a stranger in her place with no memories of him. That was definitely a rough deal.

"Any other interesting dreams last night?" Jennifer tilted her head to the side and her hair swung against the side of her face.

"There was one more. It seemed more like a scene from a B movie." Alexa said slowly. "I was wandering a creepy old mansion with Duke, Nathan, Jordan and a couple of other people. It ended with an epic standoff where everyone was pointing guns at everyone else. We shot out all the mirrors and escaped outside. I blew up the house with a bomb the newspaper guys gave me."

Jennifer shivered. "That definitely sounds like a result of a horror movie marathon."

But Duke looked awestruck. "That really happened. He breathed then focused in on Jennifer and Alexa. "That was one of _Audrey's_ memories."

Seeing their interest, he elaborated. "Audrey and I had gone to Vince and Dave's Halloween Party. A teenager stumbled in saying that her boyfriend was still in the Halloway House. Audrey, I, another detective named Tommy, Audrey's friend Claire and the girl went back to the house. It trapped us inside then lured Nathan and Jordan inside. Dwight and the Teague's were outside trying to bust a hole in the house so that it would let us out. Long story short, most of us got out."

"That's good, right?" Jennifer looked hopeful. "Your memories are coming back."

"Yeah." Alexa drank the last of her coffee. "But it's so frustrating that they are only coming back a piece at a time."

Duke got up for a refill. "Well the way you got out of The Barn was a good memory." He said practically. "It tells us that there is a way in and out for you just in case it does come back. Also the haunted house memory also shows you that Nathan, Jennifer and I aren't crazy for believing in The Troubles."

Alexa knew she looked a little guilty. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was a little much to take in all at once."

"It's ok." Jennifer reassured her. "I'm used to being thought of as crazy. It took me coming to Haven to realize I'm not. There are really crazy things here."

All three of them laughed but a knock at the door stopped them. Alexa got up and answered the door.

"Hello, Detective." She greeted Nathan.

"Alexa." He nodded hello to Duke and Jennifer. "Got a call. Dwight has asked for yours and Duke's help on a case. Need to hurry."

"Ok." Alexa unplugged the coffee pot. "Let's go."

"I'm coming too." Jennifer piped up as she followed everyone to Nathan's Bronco.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Haven or am profiting from writing this story.

Amnesiac

Chapter 4

Alexa rode in the back with Duke. She still didn't feel very comfortable being around Nathan. The haunted house memory had showed her Audrey's feelings towards Nathan and the intensity of them had surprised her. The feelings that Audrey had towards Duke weren't such a surprise. Alexa was beginning to share them. She supposed that if Nathan ever ended up acting like a human being towards her, that she might feel the same way towards him.

Nathan was distant and cold. "Dwight says that two teenagers were having lunch when the male started acting strange. We're going to see what's going on."

They parked behind the police barricade and got out. Alexa and Jennifer stood by the Bronco while Duke and Nathan walked away to confer with Dwight and Vince. But not far enough that Alexa couldn't hear their conversation.

"Damn!" Dwight remarked. "I still can't get over how different she looks."

"She's still got the same fiery, independent personality." Duke said. "Even though I'm sure that Nathan would disagree. He is being even less charming than usual towards her. She won't fall back in love with you if you won't stop being a jackass. And you won't be able to realize your dream of her killing you and ending the troubles."

"What's the status?" Nathan just ignored Duke's jabs.

"They are both jackasses." Alexa muttered to Jennifer. "Maybe I should just date Dwight."

Jennifer started laughing. "Are you going to start a harem?"

"Maybe I should." Alexa replied. "I'll call it Haven's Harem."

Both of them kept laughing. One of the other officers came up to Alexa and gave her a police radio. Alexa thanked him and just held it. The three men came back towards her. Alexa nudged Jennifer and tried to look serious.

"Why do you have that?" Nathan asked suspiciously as he noticed that she held a police radio.

Alexa gestured to the crime scene van. "They gave it to me. They think I'm a cop. Isn't that cool?"

"No it's not." Nathan told her. "Give that to me."

Alexa handed it over. Nathan gave it to Duke while Alexa rolled her eyes. Alexa told Jennifer goodbye and that she would meet her later at the Herald. While Duke and Nathan kept arguing, Alexa wandered away. She had to use the ladies room and she headed towards the closest location. She walked into The Rope Loft and headed towards the restroom sign. She saw a scary looking guy look at her behind the cold storage door. It freaked her out so much that she screamed.

Her fist was against her heart as it pounded in her chest. She heard footsteps racing closer to her and the door slam into the wall behind her. Nathan raced in front of her and blocked her view of the guy, gun drawn. Duke grabbed her arms and pushed her behind him. Alexa grabbed the back of his shirt and held on. Duke gently made her let go then he positioned himself behind Nathan.

"All I wanted to do was go to the bathroom." She managed. "What the hell kind of town is this?"

Nathan started talking to the guy. "Josh? Hey we just want to help."

Josh pounded on the door. "Stop calling me Josh!"

Nathan pointed his gun at him. "Josh, you're surrounded."

Josh grabbed a knife and tried to unlatch the lock with it. He was unsuccessful and he snarled.

"Put the knife down." Nathan ordered. "This is over."

"You're damn right it's over. I trusted her and look where it got me." He said before cutting his own throat.

Nathan yelled. "Whoa!"

Alexa screamed as the window in front of her was painted red with blood. The body fell forward and Alexa just sated in horror. Rivulets of blood trailing slowly down the glass.

"Oh, my… God." She said slowly and with great horror.

Duke led her away from the crime scene. She sat in the back of The Bronco and stared at her hands. He walked away to have a little chat with Nathan. He came back and rummaged behind the seat. He opened a bottle of water then handed it to her. She took a drink then just held it.

"You okay?" His brown eyes were concerned.

Alexa looked back down to the bottle in her hands. "No. Why would someone do something like that?"

"Nathan's going to investigate." Duke told her. "He'll get to the bottom to why he did this. You can always help him find out why."

"Ok." Alexa took another drink then tried to smile.

Nathan climbed into the driver's seat and Duke took up the front passenger seat. Nathan put the key into the ignition then started the truck. He pulled away from the curb.

"Going to the station." He said briefly.

"We're coming with you." Alexa told him, watching surprise cross Nathan's face before his cop face came back.

Back at the station, Duke and Nathan talked to Katie aka the girl whose friend went crazy and killed himself at the restaurant. Alexa watched from the couch as Duke asked her questions. They found out that Katie, her boyfriend and Josh were all involved in an accident a few days ago. Tyler was still in the hospital. Nathan seemed preoccupied, he spent more time brooding and staring at her then trying to solve the case. Finally, Nathan pulled himself together and had another officer take Katie's formal statement.

"So where do we go next?" Duke asked Nathan.

Nathan answered. "The hospital. To talk to Katie's boyfriend, Tyler."

"Ok. And can you please act like a cop in Alexa's presence." Duke requested. In response to Nathan's glare, he held his hands up in surrender. "Whatever. Just trying to help, buddy."

Alexa snorted and walked out of the office. She made sure to put an extra sway in her step just to piss Nathan off. Judging from the chilly feeling of the eyes glaring a hole into her, she had succeeded admirably.

They got to the hospital and went to speak to Tyler. They questioned him about the accident and about his friends. He told them that he was pretty sure that Katie had done something to him that made him crash the vehicle. Duke wrote him out a prescription for a free drink at The Gull. All of them went to go talk to Katie again because now she seemed like their prime suspect. Nathan radioed in asking if Officer Rafferty had already dropped Katie off.

The dispatcher came back. "Bad news, honey. Officer Rafferty just called in to report that the girl just ran in front of a car and was hit. EMT's are working on her but it doesn't look good."

"Dammit." Nathan cursed. "On my way, Laverne."

Nathan got there in a few minutes and got out of the truck. The EMT's were pulling away and the coroner's van was on its way. The body was covered with a sheet and the shaken driver of the car was crying. Officer Rafferty looked shaken up next to her but was holding onto her composure. A second officer looked to be taking both of their statements.

Dwight walked up to them. "According to Rafferty, Katie had what looked like a small seizure then told her 'It worked again. I had this coming.' Then she darted out in front of the car to kill herself."

"So it's someone else." Nathan surmised. "Someone else's trouble."

"Could it be Tyler?" Alexa suggested.

This got her attention from everyone. "Think about it." Alexa started. "This only started happening after he got into the accident. The only two people who walked away from the accident are now both dead. Tyler's the only one left."

"I agree." Dwight said. "Go back and talk to Tyler. Figure out what he left out of the original story. I'll stay here and take care of this."

Nathan, Duke and Alexa raced back to the hospital. When they got to Tyler's room, Alexa was nominated to talk to him since she would seem less threatening.

"Tyler?" She knocked on the door then opened it.

He was faced away from her, looking like he was asleep. She got closer to him then screamed when she got close enough to see that he was dead. Nathan and Duke jumped into the room and swore when they saw the body with the syringe sticking out of it.

"That's not him. That's the orderly." Duke told Alexa.

"I'll check the security footage." Nathan told both of them then walked away.

Duke looked at Alexa then Nathan's retreating back. "I'll, uh, go see if I can find his nurse."

Duke retreated and Alexa sighed. The nurse came back with Duke and was suitable horrified. Nathan asked for the security footage from Tyler's room. While they were waiting, the forensics team arrived and started taking pictures. A security guard arrived on the floor with a laptop with the last 24 hours of footage booted up ready to play. They saw the orderly give the remote to Tyler.

"Look!" Alexa said. "They are both moving their hands in the same way. It happened after he gave Tyler the remote. Katie and Josh both gave him cards."

Nathan shook his head. "Yeah looks like Tyler is the one with the trouble."

They both watched as Tyler was wheeled out by the orderly then sped forward to see the orderly come back into the room. Alexa turned away as the orderly filled a needle full of air then stabbed himself and gave himself a fatal heart attack. She flipped through Tyler's medical chart.

"Hmm." She frowned. "It looks like his condition is worsening. After each attack he has a seizure and he loses more motor function each time."

Nathan took it from her and studied the pages. "That must be how he comes back to his own body. He needs to have something from the person he is possessing and killing the person is how he comes back to his own body. The seizures happen because his body can't handle the additional information that the consciousness provides when he returns."

Nathan's eyes got big. Nathan pulled out his cell and put Duke on speaker. "Where are you?"

"First floor. No sign of Tyler." Duke reported.

Nathan closed his eyes in relief. "Tyler's our guy. He can possess people by touching an item that he was given. Like a drink ticket for The Gull."

"Crap! This is what I get for being nice." Duke sounded pissed. "So keep a look out for anyone suspicious then?"

"Yep." Nathan said.

There were a few seconds of silence. "I think someone's following me." Duke said quietly. "Wait a second."

There were a few minutes of silence then a sound of a door slamming shut and locking. After two minutes or so, Duke came back to the phone.

"Mission accomplished." Duke responded. "Locked his ass up. I'm down in the basement."

"On our way." Nathan made a beeline for the elevator.

Alexa stepped inside the elevator and pressed the basement button. Door closed and they were brought down to the basement. They stepped out and saw Duke pacing in front of a door.

"He's in there." Duke pointed.

Nathan got into a firing position and Duke unlocked the door. He swung it open, revealing a black space inside. Nathan swept the opening with his gun but there was no noise. Nathan edged forward a little and felt for the light switch. He found it and turned it on.

Duke waited for him to turn around then bashed Nathan in the face. He grabbed the gun while Nathan was still disoriented and ran behind Alexa. He pointed the gun at both of them.

"Move! Move!" He yelled at her.

She darted behind Nathan.

"This was a trap." Nathan realized. "You're Tyler."

"Surprise." Tyler spoke through Duke's mouth.

"Give me your phones." Tyler ordered.

Alexa grumbled. "I just got that."

But both of them handed over their phones.

Nathan started trying to get into Tyler's head. Tyler confirmed that his trouble started after his car crash. Possessing Josh had been an accident. All of a sudden, he was having lunch with Katie. Worse, he realized that Katie was cheating on him with his best friend. He couldn't believe that they were doing this to him. So he took his revenge. He confirmed that he needed to be touching something the person gave him before he could possess them.

Nathan told him calmly. "Tyler, you can't keep this up. It was on your charts. Your real body is falling apart the more you possess people. You're gonna die."

"Which is why I'm trading my body in for this one. Permanently." Tyler said, waving the gun around and stepping forward, menacingly. "Now get in there. Or I'll shoot your girlfriend. _Now move_."

They stepped inside reluctantly and Tyler slammed the door shut on them. He locked the door and walked away.

Nathan started kicking the door, hoping that someone would hear or that the door would give way. Alexa just sighed and went to go lean against a wall. After about twenty minutes of watching Nathan ineffectively try to kick the door down, she was bored and cracked a joke.

Her humor was apparently not appreciated by Detective Wuornos.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." He eyed her. "Maybe after this, we can get some food. Maybe some pancakes."

Alexa recognized that he was trying to find some common ground. "Sure. I could go for breakfast."

"Ok." He banged on the door a few more times.

She reached into a box and pulled out a few items that could do double duty as lock picks. "This clearly is not working, Detective Wuornos. Let me try."

She pushed him out of the way and started picking the lock.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I've picked a few handcuffs in my day." She joked.

"You get arrested a lot?" He asked.

"No. I just had a boyfriend who was really into bondage." She said absently while listening to the lock click. "Oh! Well that was a memory that came out of the blue."

She turned back to look at him only to see his eyes move away. She realized he was staring at her ass. "You getting a good look?"

He didn't say anything. Just looked away with a clenched jaw.

What she had wasn't working so she came back to the box and rummaged around again.

"You know I'm not her, right?" She looked up at him.

He stared back at her. "Yeah, I do. You're a completely different person and I don't want you. I want you to be Audrey again."

Alexa felt an unexpected pang of hurt at that. She looked down then away.

"I'm sorry." Nathan apologized. "I know that's a terrible thing to say. That's just how I feel."

She walked back to the door without a word. Tried for a few more seconds then the lock clicked and she swung the door open. Without a word, she motioned forward and Nathan walked out. As much as his words hurt her, finding Duke was more important.

Alexa told him. "I'll stay here and finish searching the hospital for Tyler's body. You go and find Duke."

She walked away before he could say anything. She started at the top floor and searched every nook and cranny.

She was on the ground floor when she had a commotion from outside. She ran outside to see Jennifer in front of Duke's Land Rover, holding a gun. Nathan got to her first and gently took the gun away from her.

"Duke's not Duke." She was frantic. "He just ran inside."

"Yeah, he's been possessed." Alexa shrugged. At Jennifer's incredulous stare. Alexa added. "I'm getting used to it."

"He got the drop on Dwight." Nathan told them. "Before he went down, he told Dwight that he wants to possess Duke permanently and in order to do that, he thinks he has to kill his original body."

"The orderly never left the hospital so Tyler has to be here somewhere." Nathan finished.

"Basement is the only place I haven't checked." Alexa told them.

Jennifer flapped her hands. "What are you waiting for? Go save Duke so I can kick his ass for kissing me. Don't look at me like that. It felt like kissing my brother. I never want to repeat that ever in my life."

Nathan shook that off. "You didn't give Duke anything did you? Something he could take in to Tyler's body?"

"I left my pen in his leg." Jennifer admitted.

"So he could take control of you too. Any of us." Nathan said slowly.

"Isn't she immune to The Troubles?" Jennifer asked Nathan. "They won't affect her like Audrey."

 _Oh. That's the reason he's keeping me close_ , Alexa realized.

"Okay." Alexa said aloud. Her eyes darted back and forth from Jennifer to Nathan. "I get it. Is that why I'm so important to all you people? Because I'm immune to these trouble things? What else can I do?"

"That's a lot." Nathan replied."

Alexa nodded. "All right. Then maybe I should go in there by myself."

"No, you're not going in there on your own." Nathan declared.

"Tyler can't control me." She reminded him. "I go in there; I take Duke's drink ticket out of Tyler's hand. We get Duke back and I get a free drink."

 _Which after dealing with you_ , Alexa thought with her growing anger; _I'm definitely going to need._

"No." He said firmly.

 _Now I'm pissed off._ Alexa had finally reached her limit.

She took a step closer to him and kept her tone soft. "Okay, I have a question for you. Is all of this real? This trouble insanity."

Nathan licked his lips. He looked a little nervous at her tone. Maybe some things did carry over despite her lack of memories. Like the steady current of anger she was feeling.

"Yes." He said.

"Then maybe I need to be here." She was going to help Duke no matter what. "This is what I'm supposed to be doing."

Jennifer nodded at Alexa, proudly smiling. "That makes sense to me.

"I'm the only shot at saving your friend." She reminded him. "Tyler can control you then you'll turn on me. Do you want to take that chance? Or do you want to take a chance on me?"

Nathan sighed then gave her his weapon. "Here. Three minutes then I'm coming in."

"All right." Alexa nodded. "Got it, Dudley Do-Right."

Alexa went back into the hospital and made her way to the basement. She pushed her anger down. She needed to stay focused. She'd give Nathan the tongue lashing he deserved later.

Of course, the gurney containing Tyler's body was at the end of a long hallway. She wanted to sigh. What a horror movie cliché. She walked up to it and saw the ticket in his hand. All of sudden, Tyler's hand knocked the gun out of hers, skittering out of reach.

She gasped and turned to see Duke's face staring at her. He had a hatchet in one hand.

"You'll be dead before you ever get that thing out of my hand." Puppet Duke told her.

"You think by killing yourself, you'll be left with control of Duke's body?" Alexa asked him. "What if it doesn't work?"

Tyler was desperate and he threatened her with the hatchet. "What choice do I have?" He yelled. "My body is ruined! There is no going back for me now. Maybe for you too."

"How well do you really know this guy?" He stared at her then touched Duke's face. "Is he really worth dying for?"

He lifted the hatchet in the air like he was going to strike her. Afraid of what he would do, she stepped back out of his reach. But Duke _needed_ her. She wouldn't abandon him. She eyed the gun and knew it was too far away to grab.

She knew that Tyler's soul was attached to his own body. Tyler had surmised that because he killed the people he possessed to return to his own body, that it would work the same if he were to kill his own But Tyler was a desperate kid. All bodies possessed their own soul and were _full_ already, so to speak. He would only be able to fully possess a body that had no soul left.

"I'm sorry, Duke." She whispered. _Sorry you have to watch your own body kill someone._

She watched in horror as Duke's body pivoted then buried the hatchet in Tyler's body. Blood splashed onto him and Duke gasped. His eyes turned silver. His body straightened out then Tyler's body started going through its final death throes. Duke's body copied it as they both seized.

"What's happening to me?" Tyler gasped out of Duke's lips. He threw himself against the wall. "What is this? This wasn't supposed to happen."

Tyler's body stilled and Duke fell to the floor. Alexa was in suspense as Duke's body breathed heavily then pushed itself up.

"Tyler?" Alexa asked.

Duke turned around and looked at her. "Relax, sweetheart. It's me."

Alexa took a deep breath then let it out slowly. Duke got to his feet then just looked lost in thought.

"You remember anything?" Alexa asked.

"All of it." Duke admitted. "It was like I was a fly on my own wall the whole time."

"What was that?" She asked. "And what was going on with your eyes?"

"My family curse." Duke explained. "When I killed a troubled person, I kill their trouble too. When he died, Tyler couldn't control me anymore. He accidentally ended his own curse."

"All right. Well that's good to know." Alexa nodded. "Got a lot to learn here."

"Yeah. That was a close one." Duke said quietly.

Alexa just stared at him. Then rushed forward and hugged him, just happy that he was alive. His arms came around her slowly and held her to him. They tightened and she held on. He let go first and then she did.

She looked up at him to see surprised eyes staring at her. They were both just staring at each other when Nathan found them. He broke eye contact first. Nathan demanded an explanation and Alexa took it upon herself to tell him what happened. Nathan called the forensic team again and supervised the crime scene. Alexa escorted Duke up to bandage his leg wound. When he saw Jennifer, he paled then his face went green.

"So I see you do remember." Jennifer glared at him then socked him in the arm. "Don't ever try to do that again."

"I swear on the Buddha." Duke promised. "Don't get me wrong. You are a very attractive woman but-"

"No woman wants to hear the end of that sentence." Alexa warned Duke.

"Thank you!" Jennifer told her. "Ready to go?"

"Let me take Duke to the waiting room." Alexa told her. "Oh and Duke, I need my phone back."

Duke gave it back to her. "Where are you two ladies off too?"

"To talk to Vince and Dave." Alexa told him. "Text me when you are ready for me to come get you. I'll drive you home. "

She looked at the time then teased him. "You should be out of here in about six hours or so."

"Ha ha." He groused. "As long as I get a ride from a woman as beautiful as you, I guess this day won't be so bad."

"Aww thanks!" She gushed then she said sweetly. "Now give me Nathan's phone."

Duke gulped then gave her the requested phone with a questioning look. "Do I want to know?"

"I'll give it back." Alexa promised. "Eventually. Don't tell him you gave it to me. And if you want to know what your buddy did, you can ask him yourself. Time's a wasting, Jennifer. Let's go get some answers from your newspaper fellows."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Haven nor am I making a profit off of this story…

Amnesiac

Chapter 5

Alexa and Jennifer borrowed Duke's Land Rover since he was going to be busy getting stitched up. While Jennifer had driven them to the Herald, Alexa had spent the car ride renaming the contacts in Nathan's phone and changing ringtones. Satisfied, she slipped the phone into her purse and exited the vehicle.

The bell above the door dinged as they headed inside. Dave looked up to see both of them heading his way and he smiled.

"It's almost closing time. Vince is in the back finishing up the latest edition." He said. "I thought you would still be out solving the latest trouble."

"Oh, we did." Alexa sat in the guest chair. "He possessed Duke's body and Tyler killed his own body thinking he would be able to live in Duke's. But Duke's trouble kicked in and Tyler is the one who ended up dead."

"Oh my." Dave looked sympathetic. "Anything I can do?"

"There's not much that can be done." Alexa leaned forward. "I came here to ask you for your opinion on the troubles. Duke and Nathan are convinced that I used to be Audrey Parker and I'd like to hear this from a person who doesn't have a personal stake in this."

"That would be hard to do." Dave's voice was gentle but utterly certain. "She's been the lynchpin of our survival since before this town existed. How much do you know?"

She looked at Jennifer, whose head was down. She was concentrating on writing it all down. "Not much. Audrey was a FBI agent turned Haven cop partnered with Nathan. She helps people with their troubles. She went into the Barn to stop the troubles for 27 years."

"That's it?" Vince's voice entered the conversation. He sat down at his desk and looked at Alexa intensely.

Dave shook his head. "Those boys are more interested in romance than ending the troubles. We should start at the beginning."

"Well, go ahead." Vince told him impatiently. "You were always more interested in the history side of things anyway."

Dave's eyes glittered. "Before Haven existed, when this was all lush forest, the Mi'kmaq Indians lived here. They say that a white man and a white woman entered their forest and began tampering with nature. They cursed the locals and the locals eventually chased them away. The white settlers came and eventually the two came back to cause more mischief. The Indians and the settlers caught the pair and asked for them to end the curses. The two were unrepentant and managed to disappear. Without them, the shaman did his best and created a spell that would give 27 years of peace before they would start again. No one knows how or why she was chosen to be the savior."

"Every 27 years she is freed to help those that were cursed. She is given a choice to return to the Barn and renew the cycle or to end them permanently by sacrificing the one she loves most. After returning to the Barn, her memories are wiped and she is given a new set of memories and a name. Each time she comes back, her personality is the same but she looks different."

Vince sets down a picture of a smiling blonde. "Audrey was the most recent. She did do all of the things you said. She was a police officer dedicated to her duties. Before her was Lucy. Lucy was a photographer and she had a lot of friends in this town. Just like Audrey, she helped a lot of people."

Vince handed Alexa the picture of Lucy. She had long, straight dark hair and an intense expression. She wasn't smiling and she gave off a solemn air. She wore all black like fashionable young artists did in the eighties. In the background was a pier and she was holding a young boy's hand.

"That's Duke." Dave pointed out the young boy. "For a while, Lucy and Duke's father were friends. That went sour when she realized he was an abusive drunk and that he felt killing troubled people was a mission from God. She spent a lot of time with Duke and Nathan since those two were still friends at the time. She was such a good role model for both of them. It's sad that their memories of her disappeared when she went into the Barn."

"Oh." She said faintly.

"And this is Sarah." Vince handed her the last photo.

This was of a woman dressed in an old fashioned nurse's uniform. A hat sat in her curly red hair. She looked like a strong, capable female and Alexa said so.

Vince's smile split his face. "She was. She was an army nurse and she could keep soldiers in line."

"Sarah was special to us." Dave interjected. "She was the first version that we met of you. She's the reason we keep chronicling the return."

"Before her, there were many more but photographs are rare." Vince said. "We have a few paintings, an etching and a cameo. We have tried to collect as many personal diaries as possible, town records. Anything that could help trace this back to the beginning of the legend so that we can end this."

Alexa sat back. "I see. So each time I come back I help people. That's my job."

"Yes." Dave said earnestly.

"Have I ever recovered any of my memories before this?" Alexa asked.

Vince and Dave shook their heads. Vince spoke. "As far as we know, you've never recovered any memories of the lives you've lived before."

"I'm asking because I had a dream last night and Duke confirmed it was one of Audrey's memories." Alexa told them.

Dave's eyes widened behind his glasses and Vince dropped his pencil. _"What?"_

"I had two memories." She said quietly. "Duke said the first one was about the Halloway House."

Dave slumped against his chair. "Of all the ones to remember…" He muttered.

Alexa tapped the Lucy picture. "She was part of that memory."

Alexa continued. "Audrey saw a mirror and she saw Lucy as a reflection. She recovered a memory of being Lucy but it caused her to have a seizure and nose bleed. The woman helping me told me that it was dangerous to keep looking past the memory block because it could cause an aneurism."

"I haven't seen her." Alexa finished. "The red haired woman in my dream. Duke said her name was Claire."

They both looked sad. Dave said softly. "Claire was a psychiatrist. She died helping you face a killer."

"Oh." Alexa was a little sad. She was hoping to meet her.

"In fact that's why Audrey ended up going into the Barn." Vince said. "The killer was a skin walker. They would kill someone and wear their skin like a suit."

"I'm not going to like this part am I?" Alexa muttered.

"No." Vince told her ominously. "Sarah had a son named James. She gave him up for adoption when she knew she wasn't going to be able to stay. James grew up; married a woman named Arla and met Lucy when she returned. Lucy and James are the ones that discovered that killing what Lucy loved most would end the troubles forever. The one person Lucy loved most was James and she couldn't kill him. She ran away. The Guard killed him thinking that it would still work and the Troubles would be over. It didn't and Lucy came back. She took James' body with her into the Barn because she knew the Barn could bring him back to life. James' wife had a trouble and when she learned that James was dead, her skin slid right off of her body. She killed someone and stole their skin. When Lucy found out, she barred Arla's entrance into the Barn and they disappeared."

"Audrey came back and Arla knew the Barn would be back for her." Dave continued. "She killed a lot of people to determine that Audrey could only summon the Barn on the night of the Hunter Meteor Storm. Audrey summoned the Barn because James couldn't live outside of it before letting Arla in. The Troubles don't work inside and so James saw what a monster his wife had become. She killed him accidentally and then Audrey killed her while they were struggling for the knife."

"What happened to James?" Alexa wanted to know.

"If the Barn had lived, he would have been resurrected." Vince shrugged. "But at this moment, he's presumed dead."

"Ok. Do we know who James' father was?" Jennifer spoke up.

Alexa had forgotten that she was there since she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had a son. Jennifer had been quietly recording all of this. "Who was he?"

Vince coughed in embarrassment and Dave tried to be delicate. "There was a time traveling trouble that Duke and Nathan got caught up in. Sarah told us once that the father hadn't been born yet but it wasn't until Audrey went into the Barn, that Nathan admitted that he was the father."

"Both Sarah and Audrey, huh." Alexa sighed and covered her face with her hand. "Detective Wuornos seems to have a thing with all my incarnations."

"Some would see that as destiny." Vince gave her a hard look.

She remembered this man held Duke and Nathan's fates in his hand. In fact he commanded an unknown amount of people who could go off script at any time and kill all of them.

"Or star crossed lovers never meant to be together. "She countered. "You've been extremely helpful and from what Duke has told me, you don't normally share this much info.

He nodded his head in acceptance of her point. "True but most of this could be learned from Duke or Nathan if they would ever sit down and explain anything. And honestly, we're in a time crunch here. Secrecy has its place but I want this to be over just like everyone else."

Jennifer had finished writing. She looked at Alexa. "In light of the legend they told you, I think you should tell them about how you escaped the Barn."

"You're right." Alexa nodded. "We got off topic."

"I met a man in the Barn named William." Alexa started. She edited out some of the details because she didn't want the brothers to know about her ring. "He's completely different than the man Duke calls Agent Howard. He's the one that convinced me that I had to leave the Barn before it died with us in it. We were able to leave the Barn and we traveled through another dimension that he called The Void. We used a portal to gain entrance and ended up in Maine. He gave me some money and we split ways."

"Oh dear." Dave breathed. "He was in the Barn with you?"

"He's real." Alexa nodded. "He helped me but I'm guessing that his being in the Barn isn't a good thing."

"No." Vince furrowed his brow. "It's only supposed to contain you and Agent Howard. James was a special case because he was related to you and because eventually he became part of the Barn."

"So he died when the Barn did." Alexa said to herself.

Dave nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"We'll have to do some research on this." Vince said to his brother. "He could be the other person in the legend."

"Could be." Dave agreed.

Jennifer piped in. "Does it ever say where the two came from originally?"

"The legend says they come from another place." Vince said. "Could be this Void you went through."

"Maybe." Alexa said. "But I didn't see any people, animals or man-made structures while we were there. It was full of vegetation but nothing else."

"We'll look into it." Dave promised.

"Thank you." Alexa's phone vibrated. And she read the text. "I have to go. Duke is ready for me to pick him up from the hospital. He got wounded in the line of duty. Need a ride, Jennifer?"

Jennifer nodded then stood up. "Sure. You can drop me off on the way back."

Alexa stood up as well. "Okay but I need to make a quick stop before we go to the hospital."

"Have a nice evening, ladies." Dave called out.

"You too." They called back.

Jennifer bumped hips with her. "Where to next?"

"Haven PD." Alexa grinned. "I've got something to drop off."

After a quick pit stop, they made their way back to the hospital. Duke was waiting for them. After winning the argument about Duke not driving home, Alexa dropped Jennifer off at the bed and breakfast that she had a room at. They made their way back to The Gull. The bar was lit up and things seemed to be in full swing if the amount of cars in the parking lot were any indication.

"Now to the important part." Alexa said lightly. ""I'm either coming with you or you are coming with me. No way am I leaving you on your own."

"It's not a big deal." Duke protested. "I can take care of myself."

"I know you're not a kid, Duke." Alexa told him. "But this isn't a flesh wound. I know that they stitched muscle as well as skin and I know you refused pain medication. Staying with me is the lesser of two evils."

Duke still looked like he wanted to protest. Alexa cut him off. "Think of all the fun you will have when everyone realizes where you are staying."

"There is that." He murmured. "Except for the Guard. They will just try to kill me."

Alexa shrugged. "Don't try to kid yourself. They are probably already watching us and reporting to Vince. I can always see if Jordan wants to hang out."

"Fine." He got out and slammed the door. "Twist my arm."

Alexa hid her smile. "I'll even let you sleep on the bed."

"My hero." He said in a snarky voice as he grabbed his emergency bag.

She knew he didn't want her helping him up the stairs so she hung back a little as he made his way up. She unlocked the door and turned on the lights. He put his bag by the door and made his way to the couch. Alexa shut the door behind him and locked it.

It was a little cold and she debated about starting a fire. In the end, she brought Duke a beer then wrestled with keeping the fire going. She finally succeeded and poured herself a glass of wine to celebrate. She put a plate of sandwiches between them on the couch and they talked while they were eating.

"So what did Vince and Dave to say to you?" Duke wiped his hands after finishing off the last sandwich.

"They told me the legend of how the troubles came to be." Alexa took the plate and deposited it in the sink. "I told them about William since we don't know what role he's been cast to play in our little melodrama. They are looking into him."

"Good." Duke told her. "They might not share what information they manage to dig up but all of us will keep an eye open."

"They told me about Audrey, Lucy and Sarah." Alexa took a sip of wine. "The cliff notes version. There wasn't time for much more."

"Ah." Duke nodded. "You want me to fill in what you might have missed?"

"If you don't mind." Alexa was hesitant. "I know about Audrey. They told me about the James being Sarah's and Audrey's son. Which also makes him my son. They also explained about Nathan being his father."

"So they caught you up on the most recent events." Duke made a tsking noise. "Nathan is a by the book kind of guy but when his life gets turned upside down, he tends to make some spectacularly bad decisions. And this is coming from a guy who has made some questionable life decisions in the past."

"I've gathered that he has some trouble letting go." Alexa tried to be tactful.

Duke laughed loudly. "Yeah. He doesn't like change."

"You guys have history together." Alexa pried a little.

"You make it sound like we were dating." Duke said lightly. "We grew up together and were friends. That's all."

"Oh no." Alexa wiggled her finger in his face. "There's more to it than that. I've seen the looks you give each other. No one gets that hostile for nothing. The looks you give each other could set a bed on fire."

"I'm not having that conversation with you." Duke stated. Ignoring Alexa's "Aha! That's so _hot_." he said. "I'll tell you about the history that you have with the Crockers."

Alexa pouted. "Fine. But I reserve the right to bring this up at a later date. Until then, my fantasies will have to do."

Duke's eyebrows waggled and he grinned. "Duly noted."

He sobered as his family history wasn't very nice. "I traveled back in time and met Sarah and my grandfather, Roy. I tried to keep them apart but it didn't work. Sarah ended up killing him. My drunk of a father, Simon, felt that the troubled were evil and that he was doing God's work by killing them and ending their troubles. I heard that he and Lucy were good friends for a time. I think that she was trying to convince him to stop. But then Simon found out she had killed Roy and tried to kill her as well. Lucy killed him to save herself."

"I am nothing like my father and grandfather." Duke said passionately. "I believe in saving the troubled. I will only use my trouble if there is no other way."

"Good to know." Alexa said. "I trust you."

"What happened earlier?" Duke began. "When I asked Nathan what he did to upset you, I got a guilty look. Then there was the good old it's-none-of-your-business glare."

Alexa drank the rest of her glass of wine. "He told me he wished that I was gone and Audrey was here instead."

"Bastard." Duke huffed.

"It's not like I don't see his point." Alexa started washing dishes. "Am I really so different from her?"

"Yes and no." Duke admitted. He leaned against the counter next to her. "Audrey was a little more diplomatic than you are but she was brave, strong and independent just like you. Haven and the job were always first to her. She was always so serious and never let herself have any fun. At the core you have the same warm, caring heart and loving spirit."

"Thanks." Alexa said softly as turned her face away so he couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"That's enough mushy stuff." Duke announced.

Alexa sniffed then tried to smile. "I also might have told Nathan that I was into bondage."

Duke roared with laughter. "Buddha! I wish I had seen his face."

"It was epic." She agreed.

And reassured herself that in time everything would be all right.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Haven nor am I making a profit off of it by writing this story…

Amnesiac

Chapter 6

Alexa yawned as she stood over her stove. A spatula hovered over the eggs sizzling in the skillet. She scooped them up onto a plate that already held a piece of toast. Adding a fork, she carried the plate and a cup of coffee to the bed. She placed the plate on the nightstand then blew the coffee steam towards Duke.

His nose twitched and then his eyes opened. "Hey." He said lazily.

He propped himself up against the headboard. He accepted the coffee and took a sip. "Mmm." He hummed in appreciation.

She wandered back to the couch as he started to eat. She had opened Duke's crate and had begun to scan the pictures inside to her laptop. She had finished half the pile before making breakfast. She was almost done when he got up and deposited the dishes in her sink.

"Almost done." She told him absently as he sat beside her.

She scanned the last one then put it in the pile with the rest. She looked at the trinkets inside and brought them out to take a closer look at them. She realized that some of the treasures matched the pictures. She matched the cupcake topper with the picture of the frosting faced Audrey. The picture of Nathan and Audrey at the beach went with the vial of sand.

Duke watched her in silence as she matched items to pictures. Movie ticket, a handwritten note, a sea shell for the lighthouse picture, the Gull's menu for a picture of all three of them eating dinner. A picture of Audrey outside the Gull staring at the lighthouse with beer in hand went with the beer caps. She held up a book called _Unstake My Heart_ with a questioning look.

"Audrey's." Duke answered. "She loved books like that."

Alexa laughed a little then put everything back into the crate. Last things to go in the crate were the playing cards. There were five of them and she looked over them. Two of them were jokers, the prince of clubs, the queen of hearts and the king of diamonds.

This was Duke's memory box and it struck her that this normally mysterious person had shown her how much he felt. All of the pictures were of Duke, Nathan and Audrey. Duke's unguarded emotions lay in some of the pictures. These pictures made it clear that Audrey and Nathan were the entirety of Duke's world.

The look on his face kept her quiet. She put the lid back on and pushed the crate towards him. He touched it protectively and once again, she was reminded of the fact that _Duke loved Audrey_ , just like _Nathan loved Audrey_.

Suddenly she felt a little too sensitive like a cat that's fur had been ruffled the wrong way. She wondered if she would ever stop feeling like an unwanted guest in her own life. She stood up suddenly and excused herself. She grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat. She stared at herself in the mirror and wondered if Audrey had felt this way about Lucy or Sarah. Her lips quivered a little but her eyes were dry. When the steam fogged up the mirror and she couldn't see her own face anymore, she turned away to undress and stepped into the shower.

After finishing in the shower, she stepped out and blow dried her hair. She dressed and did her makeup then walked out. Duke was still there on the couch but the crate was now gone.

She could feel his eyes on her as she went to the coffee pot and poured herself another cup. She looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm going to go to the police station and fill out my re-entry paperwork. Want me to drop you anywhere?"

"No." He was watching her. "I'll be working in the office today. I've got schedules and payroll to do."

She sipped her at her coffee, trying to calm herself. The irritated edge that she felt herself on receded as the cup emptied. She rinsed her cup and stacked it in the sink to wash later.

She put on her jacket and collected her purse. She headed to the door. "Ok. See you."

"I'm sorry." He said suddenly.

Alexa stopped but didn't turn around. That irritation that she had worked on letting go had come back full force.

"For what? Not being Audrey?"

She didn't wait for a response. She closed the door gently behind her and kept walking. She got into her car and drove away; trying to ignore that Duke was standing on her deck.

She knew that she would have to come back eventually but for now she could ignore it. She decided that she wasn't going to go the station after all. She grabbed a sandwich and a hot coffee at the coffee shop in town then drove down to the remains of the pier in the Lucy photo.

She grabbed an old blanket out of her car and spread it out. She sat on it then just took in the view. It certainly wasn't the most beautiful view in Haven but it was nice enough.

She didn't know how long she stayed out there, just thinking about the situation that she found herself in. But the hurt she felt from Nathan's words and Duke's actions faded enough to realize she was thirsty. She took a sip of her coffee only to realize it was cold. She nibbled on her sandwich and thought about her options. She could always leave this all behind her. Start over somewhere else. Make this someone else's problem.

She sighed. She couldn't do that. So far she hadn't been much help to anyone but she certainly didn't want to be the cause of more people dying.

"Hi there." A voice said from behind her. "Do you have room for one more?"

She turned to see who it was then smiled. "Jordan. Of course I do. Please, sit with me. How are you doing?"

Jordan sat on the blanket. "Hanging in there. How are you doing?"

"Kinda crappy." Alexa said honestly. "This is an emotional roller coaster and I'm just ready to get off."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jordan asked.

Alexa noticed that she had taken off her gloves but was hesitant about asking for the basic human contact that Jordan was craving. She touched Jordan's hand gently then held it in her own.

"Sure." Alexa said. "Maybe I'll feel better if I do."

"I talked to Vince and Dave." She started out. "They explained to me that I'm here to help the Troubled and gave me the background as to why. Duke gave me his family history and I know why he's so important. The Teagues also explained why Nathan is so important to me."

"And why is that?" Jordan probed.

"The short version is that a trouble helped him impregnate me in 1955." Alexa explained.

"Huh." Jordan contemplated that.

"After losing my memory, I hoped that coming here would bring it back." Alexa kept staring at the sea. "Instead, I find the answers I'm looking for but I also get more questions. I feel like a ghost here in this town. Haunting all that knew me previously but now all I am is a shadow. Something no one wants to claim and a few simply want to banish."

"Is this just all a bad dream?" She finally turned to look at Jordan.

Jordan squeezed her hand. "No. This is reality and we are forced to live in it. It might be bad right now, Alexa, but we all live on hoping it will get better. To Haven, to the Troubled, you are the personification of that hope. You need to find your own hope."

"I didn't know Audrey well. I only met her a few times." Jordan admitted. "But she was smart, capable and brave. The same features you have. Your memories might be different but the soul doesn't change. Just remember a new coat of paint doesn't change what kind of car it was originally."

Alexa started laughing.

"What?" Jordan defended herself. "My dad used to say that all the time."

"I'm glad we're friends." Alexa smiled.

"Me too." Jordan said. "But I'm so tired of not being able to touch people."

"I know." Alexa told her. "But I want to end this for good. Not just for a few years. Can you try to be patient?"

"I'll try." Jordan promised.

"Thank you." Alexa was relieved. "But I want you to pass a message onto the guard for me."

"Ok." Jordan nodded.

"This can't be hurried. The only permanent way now is for someone I love to be killed by my hands. And when I say this I mean it. In 1983, Vince and the guards tried this approach by killing James, my son. The Troubles didn't end then. It won't end them now. So my message is this: killing off my friends or loved ones won't end the Troubles. It will only prolong the answers."

"That's a lot to ask." Jordan was hesitant. "But I'll tell them."

"Look at this way." Alexa advised. "If this isn't passed on, any nutcase could simply abduct someone and either shoot them or try to get me to shoot them. Which as you now know, won't get us anywhere."

"Good point. Dwight and Vince are also looking for another permanent solution." Jordan thought aloud. "They told me that they were looking for another way to end the Troubles without killing anyone else."  
"Good. The more brains involved in this, the better." Alexa said.

Her phone rang. She checked her caller id. She sighed then sent him to voicemail. "It's Nathan." She told a curious Jordan. "I don't feel like dealing with him either."

She sent him a text apologizing that she wasn't coming to the station today. She hesitated then added that she needed the rest of the day to process all the info that she had received. She would be there tomorrow.

"So what are you going to do now?" Jordan asked her.

"Normally I would get drunk to help me process." Alexa said honestly. "But in this case I think you should join me in eating copious amounts of ice cream."

Jordan hummed. "Then we should go to Benjy's. They have the best ice cream in town."

"Sold." Alexa stood up and began to fold up her blanket. "Let's go."

After eating two ice cream bars, Alexa declared she was done. She did eat the cherry off of Jordan's sundae but it was with Jordan egging her on. She groaned and told her no more. Jordan laughed and threw away the last of her melted ice cream.

She did feel a lot better, she discovered. Being able to talk it out and laugh with a friend was more cathartic to her soul than binging on ice cream alone. Alexa parted ways with Jordan, promising to meet up again soon.

She debated going home to her apartment to change but decided against it. She touched up her makeup and lipstick then went straight to work. She didn't see Duke but she knew he was nearby just waiting to talk to her.

She saw Nathan come in and she held in a sigh. "Great. I'm going to get tag teamed."

She forced a smile and greeted him. He studied her then ordered a beer. Alexa watched him wander outside. She gave her attention to the next customer and her shift went on. Eventually, the last customers left and the bar was clean. Mark locked up as they both went out the door. She called goodnight as he headed out to his car and she went upstairs.

She was tired from work but she was also ready to do battle. She turned the corner and saw that her balcony was lit with a dozen tea light candles flickering merrily in their little glass bubbles. A bouquet of pink and white flowers accented with peach blossoms occupied a vase on her little side table.

She picked them up and inhaled the fragrance from the peach blossoms. It smelled divine and she felt herself softening a little. She looked at her apartment. The lights blazed from inside and she went inside to see who was waiting for her.

Stepping inside, she looked around. Nathan was sitting at her kitchen table in front of a platter of cookies. Duke was at the stove cooking with his back to her and scolding Nathan.

"Leave those alone." Duke threatened Nathan. "You can have some later."

At her laugh, Nathan turned around and looked at her guiltily with half a cookie in his hand. He shoved it in his mouth then swallowed it. "Hi."

"Hey." She said back to him.

She watched Duke add seasoning to what he was cooking then a little white wine. The smell of herbs and chicken wafted over to her and she breathed it in. He turned the heat off then turned towards her.

"Welcome home. Dinner's done if you're hungry." He told her.

She let out a breath then smiled. "Can't wait."

"Before we eat, can I just say something to you?" Nathan asked her. At her nod, he continued. "It's been brought to my attention-"

"Multiple times." Duke interjected as he portioned out food on plates.

Nathan glared at him. "That I have been being a jerk. I'm sorry. I realize that you are going through something just as tough as I've been going through. I'll try to be less hostile."

"Thank you." Alexa said as she sat across the table from him. She pulled three beers out of her fridge then cracked them open. She set one in front of Nathan then on in Duke's spot. She took a pull of hers then set it down on the table.

Duke slid plates in front of them. "I'm sorry about earlier as well. I think we can all agree we are a little sensitive about the subject of Audrey and for different reasons."

"We've all been trying to avoid it." Alexa admitted. She cut up the chicken on her plate. "I've been trying to run away from it. I think we all just need to be straight with each other. "

She took a bite of the chicken and let the flavors dance on her tongue. "Delicious. My compliments to the chef."

Duke bowed. "Thank you, my lady."

"You showed me something very personal to you, Duke." Alexa looked at him. "I apologize for overreacting and being such a drama queen."

Duke sat down at the table with his plate. "Hakuna matata."

Alexa laughed long and loud while Nathan just stared at him with a piece of chicken near his mouth. "Did you really just quote the Lion King at me?"

Duke toasted her with his beer. "Yes, I did."

"Nathan." Alexa said firmly. She waited for him to look at her. "I've given you leeway because it can't be easy having someone you love come back without all the memories you shared together. But you are out of free passes. I will go down to the station tomorrow and finish my paperwork. I am not asking for you to be my new best friend or treat me like Audrey. But I am asking for you to treat me with the same respect you treat your colleagues. Are we clear?"

Duke turned a laugh into a cough. He muttered something into his beer. Alexa thought it sounded like he was saying. "She's so fucking hot when she goes dominatrix."

Nathan's ears turned red and he nodded. "You're right. I've been a jerk. Jordan came by the station earlier and gave Dwight an earful. He then told me to quit acting like I'm the only one that lost someone or something to the Troubles. He also said that if I'm going to sabotage my second chance, he might as well assign me a new partner. I'm sorry for being so self-centered."

Alexa smiled. "Apology accepted. And thank you gentlemen for the flowers and the meal."

 **Thoughts:**

Nathan is the one who brought Alexa flowers. Somehow I can just see him as a teenager with a book in hand reading about the language of flowers. Nathan has surprising depths like his love of decoupage so I expanded his area of knowledge to include this. He might have incorporated this to leave secret messages in his decoupage that he gave to friends and family.

Alexa's bouquet was full of pink alstroemeria flowers, peach blossoms and star of Bethlehem flowers. In the language of flowers all three of these are significant to Nathan's feelings. Alstroemeria stands for devotion and loyalty. Peach blossoms mean I am your captive. He is held captive by the immense feelings he has for both his old partner and the dawning realization that he feels the same for Alexa. Star of Bethlehem flowers symbolize reconciliation and purity. In this instance, Nathan is looking to reconcile his feelings for Audrey in this new version he is facing.


End file.
